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The Wrestling Podcast Hosted by Adam Gusky | Welcome! The purpose of this podcast is simple. I try to bring on unique guests to provide you with many different perspectives in wrestling, from wrestlers, coaches, wrestling business owners, and more. I try to do this in the most entertaining way possible. Thanks, for checking it out, and I hope you enjoy the show!
Based on 5 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Mat Awareness turns wrestlers' and coaches' firsthand stories into a clear account of competition, career choices and life around the mat.
Adam Guske builds Mat Awareness around direct conversations with wrestlers and coaches, following competitive careers through family beginnings, state tournaments, college programs and the pressure of decisive matches.
A coach vetoes the career recap; your wrestling fix arrives by way of two clowns.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A wrestling hour built on bets, Vegas, and a coach who prefers stories.
Dave Malachek spends the hour on wrestling stories instead of a neat resume, and that suits the episode well. The conversation moves from Osage and UNI to a 2006 return to competition, then into a Wartburg wager that sends him toward Vegas and a veterans match.
A Pennsylvania wrestling conversation built around family influence, state-tournament pride, and grounded mat details.
Adam Guske's talk with Jude Swisher of HMA Wrestling stays grounded in the path that brought Swisher to the sport, from a father with a college wrestling background to the Pennsylvania tournament culture that has shaped his climb.
Barnett's title memory and quarantine routine carry the episode despite rough audio.
The episode keeps its focus on Eric Barnett's season routine, moving through quarantine workouts, games, family time, and horseback riding with his girlfriend, whose horses are at her mom's house.
A family-built wrestling career, a transfer, and a clean case for taking risks.
The piece gives Cam Sikora's wrestling path a steady shape, moving from five Minnesota state titles to a 2020 Big 12 title at 133 pounds. The strongest material comes when that success is tied to finishing college classes and helping his dad on the family farm about an hour from…
Mat Awareness returns with John Broughton discussing the Olympic trials, Penn State wrestlers, and his work with Ben Askren around Triller Fight Club.
Adam Guske opens by introducing Dave Malachek as a two-time state champ from Osage, Iowa, an All-American for the University of Northern Iowa, and the head coach at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
Adam Guske starts with a quick ask for a subscription, a rating, and a review.
Adam Guske opens by saying the audio is rough.
Cam Sikora, a five-time Minnesota high school state champion and 2020 Big 12 champion at 133 pounds for NDSU, walks through the path from a rural Minnesota farm to Division I wrestling.